I Feel Good Enough
by kamers
Summary: MWPPL with OC. They were the crowd everyone wanted to know everything about. But if anyone would have taken a closer look, they would have seen that they had rough times, too. However, they also had each other..and that's all that mattered.
1. Introduction

_Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The title "I Feel Good Enough" is a excerpt from the song "Good Enough" by Evanescence._

**I Feel Good Enough**

**Introduction**

Thirteen-year-old Sirius Black came bounding down the spiral staircase of the boys' dormitory, not noticing the protests as he knocked over a load of books that a first year was juggling. Rather, upon reaching the entrance, he ran a hand through his hair and put on the smirk he had been practicing in a mirror in his dormitory.

As he strutted - er, walked - across the common room, he was more than a little aware of the sets of female eyes that were following him. Sirius had been blessed and, unfortunately, knew just how lucky he was. He was quite tall for thirteen and had the handsome Black family looks, as well as a vault in Gringotts filled with gold. It was too bad that the young wizard had no idea how to use his gifts. Nevertheless, those would come with time, he figured.

So, after throwing said smirk (with a spontaneous wink addition) at a pretty fifth year, who promptly blushed, Sirius glanced around the Gryffindor common room, searching out his friends. When he was unable locate them, he didn't even try to hide the look of contempt on his face.

_'Bastards,'_ Sirius crossed his arms, circling around once more. _'Think they can go to dinner without me?'_

Before he could figure out just what he was going to do to teach them a lesson, Sirius stopped short, surprised to see the lone, reddish-blonde head poking over the top of the sofa near the fireplace. Double-checking quickly to see that his suspicions were correct, he decided that this was something worth investigating. It isn't every day you see a young teenage girl without a crowd of friends protecting her from the horrors of adolescence.

"Addie."

"Don't call me Addie."

"Fine, _Addison_," Sirius drawled, vaulting over the couch and landing squarely on Addison Sydney's pile of library books.

"Smooth, Black," Addison rolled her eyes, trying to return to her reading.

After removing her wand and a quill from his arse, Sirius regained his cool. He leaned forward and tipped the cover of her book and quickly read the title _What to Do When You Crave Blood_. After raising an eyebrow, he looked down at the other books, recognizing _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander lying open on the floor, a moving drawing of a man showing off his long fangs beaming up at them. Next to it was a pile of at least six other books, each relating to vampires in one way or another.

"Vampires, Addie?" Sirius raised an eyebrow and gave a playful smirk. "Should I wear a scarf in your presence from now on?"

Addison tried to ignore him, but he made it quite impossible as he began bouncing the book up and down from the spine.

"You are quite pale. Maybe I'll carry some garlic?"

Addison rolled her eyes, pulling the book out of his line of grasp. "If you'd pay _any_ attention in class, you'd know that we have an essay for Defence on vampires – and don't call me Addie!"

"I haven't started it just yet," Sirius admitted, enjoying the look of frustration he was putting on her face. Then, feeling sly, he waggled his eyebrows at her, "Maybe we can meet up later and you can help me out, if you know what I mean?"

"No," Addison replied promptly, staring down at her book. However, unless Sirius was sorely mistaken – which he rarely was – there was a glimmer of a smile playing on her lips.

Sirius leaned back into the scarlet sofa, his hands rested behind his head and his legs stretched out in front of him. He knew from experience that this particular pose made it more than a little hard for anyone to ignore, especially if they were working. There were countless times that Remus had made him move across the common room because he was trying to study and couldn't while other people were at leisure.

It was obvious that his plan was having an effect on Addison, who kept fidgeting and sparing fleeting glances in his direction. Finally, she slapped her bookmark into her book and shut it with a snap. She turned to him and gave him a very annoyed look.

"Is there a specific reason you're pestering me?"

"Pestering _you_?" Sirius asked, looking quite scandalized. "Why would I do such a thing?"

"If I knew I wouldn't have asked, don't you think?" Addison asked cheekily.

Sirius grinned. "Addie, I'm pretty sure like you."

Addison gave him a look of disbelief. "Oh, Black, you certainly know how to woo a girl. Take me now."

"Wait, no, that's not how I meant it," Sirius panicked. Damn, he hated being thirteen. "You know, as a friend."

Unable to conceal a smirk, Addison decided to go easy on him and nodded in understanding. "Don't get your knickers in a twist. I'm only teasing."

Sirius opened his mouth to retaliate, but decided against it. Rather, he asked, "Where is your usual band of friends?"

Addison narrowed her eyes slightly, a rather irritated look on her face. "Hell if I should know."

"Do I sense tension?"

"Dory came up with some daft reason to be upset with me," Addison waved her hand frivolously. "She does it at least once a week and always with me for some reason. The others usually go along with it."

"Even Evans?" Sirius asked, knowing that the two were connected at the hip.

"Oh, no, Lily knows Dory is off her rocker," Addison shook her head. "I'm sure Nicole and Sophie do as well, but it easier to just go along with her. She always gets over it within a day or two." She looked as though she wasn't completely convinced before continuing. "They went down to dinner before. I thought I'd wait for them to finish before I went down so I don't have to deal with any looks from down the table."

Sirius nodded. "Makes sense."

Suddenly, Addison let out a laugh. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this - I'm sure you don't care."

"Why do you say that?"

"When was the last time you talked to me, Black?" Addison asked, smiling slightly. Before he could answer, she cut him off saying, "Other than to copy my homework."

She had him there, so Sirius shrugged. "I'm turning over a new leaf."

"I'm sure you are."

"Look, Addie, as I said, I like you as a friend," Sirius continued, crossing his legs. "I think that if we tried, we'd get along just famously."

"Think so?"

"I'd put a Galleon on it."

"Well, I'm beginning to agree," Addison nodded. "However, I'll be winning that Galleon if you continue calling me Addie."

Sirius smirked. "Well, then, _Addison_, care to join me for dinner? It seems my mates have left me high and dry as well."

Addison looked around the room and, when she didn't see her dormmates, looked sceptical. Reading her mind, Sirius spoke up again.

"I'm sure Ido won't give you any trouble if you're sitting with us."

Unable to believe that she was even thinking about agreeing with him, Addison thought about this. It was common knowledge that her group of friends and Sirius's didn't get along too well, but she had a suspicion that it was only because of their gender differences, despite their common ages. In fact, the row Addison had found herself in this time was because she had agreed to tutor Peter in Arithmancy. Weighing her options as her stomach began to grumble, she decided she really didn't care.

"Let's go," Addison nodded, quickly stacking her books and leaving them next to the couch, figuring no one would mess with them.

As the two retreated from the Gryffindor Tower and began the familiar trek to the Great Hall, they began to fall into conversation, much as if they had been friends for quite some time. They quickly discovered that they shared an interest in Defence, loved Quidditch, and their favourite colours were orange. Their birthdays were within days of each other and they both wished Potter and Evans would get over their feud already.

"So, I take it you don't like it when people call you Addie, Addie," Sirius pointed out the obvious as they turned the corner and approached the Hall.

"Loath it," Addison nodded.

"Care to explain?"

"Perhaps another time," Addison smirked.

"Well, you do know that I'll need some sort of nickname for you, since I have to say _Addison_ like that every time," Sirius said as though it was the most logical thing in the world.

"I don't really have any other nicknames," Addison admitted, thinking. "My middle name is Leah, if that helps."

"Addison Leah Sydney," Sirius said thoughtfully. "Wait - Sydney as in Sydney, Australia?"

"I guess," Addison shrugged. "It's not as though I'm from there, though."

"I shall call you Aussie," Sirius proclaimed, leading her through the entrance.

"'Aussie'?"

"That's what I said."

"You're joking."

"It's either that or Addie," Sirius said plainly, walking straight past Addison's friends, who were all looking at her in disbelief, and heading toward his own.

"Aussie it is, then," Addison agreed, unable to suppress a smirk at both her friends' faces and the conversation.

"You bloody berks!" Sirius exclaimed suddenly, hitting James Potter, his best mate, upside the back of the head as he sat down, Addison taking the chair next to him. "You could've waited."

"When you start smirking into the mirror, there's no telling when you'll stop," Peter Pettigrew spoke up from across the table, nudging Remus Lupin with his elbow so he'd look up from his book to see their visitor.

"Addison?" Remus asked in shock.

"Excuse me, it's Aussie now," Sirius pursed his lips as he helped himself to some mashed potatoes.

Remus gave Sirius a look and said, "What is it with your odd obsession of giving everyone nicknames?"

"You don't like Moony?" Sirius asked innocently.

"You didn't give me much say in the matter."

"Me either," Addison nodded.

"I don't have a nickname," James spoke up. "Why's that?"

"Oh, you have loads, James," Sirius retorted. "There's berk, as I just mentioned, Jamie, Jamesie, Jamison, Jam - "

"Those aren't nicknames," James rolled his eyes. "Those are you shortening my name."

"Technically, that's what a nickname _is_," Addison said playfully, buttering a roll.

"Aussie, I'm liking you more and more," Sirius nodded. "This girl knows what she's talking about."

"You're bloody mental," James rolled his eyes dramatically, turning back to his roast beef.

"You're one to talk," Peter put in, then ducked out of the way as James threw his fork at him, which hit a Ravenclaw sixth year in the back of the robes.

As the Ravenclaw got to his feet and began to look around to see whom the culprit was, Remus gave Addison an almost apologetic look.

"Welcome to the Marauders, Addison."

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Just an FYI, this is the _introduction_, meaning that the chapters will be much longer than this. If you've read anything by me before, you'll know what I mean. I hope you stick around to see what happens to Addison and her friends. (-:_


	2. She's My Best Friend

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The song "She's My Best Friend" is by The Velvet Underground and I do not own it in any way._

**I Feel Good Enough  
Chapter One: She's My Best Friend**

_She's my best friend  
Certainly not the average girl  
She's my best friend  
Understands me when I'm fallin' down_

"How hard is it to pick a bar of chocolate?"

"Aussie!" Sirius Black turned, looking quite scandalized. "This is _Honeydukes_ chocolate - I can't just randomly pick a bar and hope for the best!"

Addison Sydney gave Sirius a long stare, as though trying to gauge whether or not her best friend was as sane as he pretended to be. Sensing her disbelief, Sirius took a deep breath.

"Look, there is a lot to consider while buying chocolate," Sirius began, speaking slowly as though explaining this to a child. "For starters, you need to know if you want white, milk, or dark chocolate."

"Is that so?" Addison asked, pretending to raptly pay attention.

"It _is_ so," Sirius nodded. "Then, you have to decide if you want chunky things in it. If you decide yes, there are a whole plethora of choices from there on in. You can get more chocolate, peanut butter, caramel, peanuts, crispies, and so on and so forth."

"That is unbelievable."

"I know! And most importantly, you need to be sure that the wrapper fits the situation."

"I had no idea so much thought went into purchasing chocolate, Si," Addison leaned against the wall, her arms crossed.

"It's a science, really."

As Sirius fell back into his search for the perfect chocolate bar, Addison stared at him in disbelief and wondering what she ever did to deserve him. There had to be some action she had done in a past life that was forcing her to make up for it now.

"You're bloody mental, you know that?"

"You're one to talk, Aussie," Sirius replied, picking up a bar of chocolate as though weighing it, then setting it back down.

"You're one to - oh, I don't know," Addison let out a great sigh, growing more impatient. "I've grown bored with this conversation."

"Ah-ha!" Sirius exclaimed, gathering looks from the third and fourth years that were crowding around them. "I believe that means you fold, Aussie."

"It does _not_!" Addison protested, straightening up and crossing her arms in a dignified manner. "We didn't proclaim a battle of the wits, therefore meaning I can't fold."

"I think that after four years of us playing this game, you'd realize that you need to always be on your guard," Sirius replied, turning back to his chocolate, but giving Addison the snarky grin that was reserved for her and her alone. How she hated that grin.

"This does _not_ count," Addison declared, obviously not taking no for an answer. "I refuse to nick another pair of Nicole's knickers - "

"That's a lot of 'nick,'" Sirius commented.

"Besides the fact that it is a completely horrible form of retribution due to just how perverse it is," Addison began, knowing that if she used enough words with three or more syllables in a row, Sirius would cave, "I know that one of these days she's going to notice and have my hide - especially when she beats it out of me as to where they've been going."

"You'd think that you would have learned ages ago," Sirius cocked an eyebrow at a bar of chocolate. "No one can beat Sirius Black in a battle of wits."

"Hence why I did not declare one," Addison drawled in an annoyed manner.

"Fine, Aussie, you win," Sirius picked up one more of the same sort of bar he was holding, looking triumphant despite his backing down from the argument with Addison. "Let's go."

"_Finally_," Addison sighed, following Sirius toward the counter so he could pay.

There was a cluster of third years emptying their pockets in search for loose Knuts and Sickles, obviously a bit more than a little overwhelmed by Hogsmeade as it was their first visit. Sirius began explaining something to Addison, but she zoned out, watching out the front window of the shop longingly. It was Halloween, meaning that the days of changing leaves, brisk mornings, and cool nights were quite numbered. It seemed that as soon as it turned November in Scotland, snow began falling instantly.

"Are you even listening to me?" Sirius asked as a few of the third years ran off.

"No," Addison admitted freely, shaking her head.

"Remind me again why you're my best mate?"

"I could ask you the same question at times, Si."

"Well, I could ask you - well - I've grown bored with this conversation," Sirius shrugged, fidgeting slightly as he watched a red headed girl pay.

"Ha!" Addison exclaimed, whirling around to point a finger in Sirius's face. "Ha - you fold!"

"But - you - Aussie - I - " Sirius screwed up his face in annoyance. "It's a draw."

Addison smirked and said, "Fine." Then, after a moment of silence she muttered quietly, "Folder."

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing," Addison smiled innocently as another third year hurried off to join the pack.

They fell silent again and Addison began to look around the shop, desperately wanting to go outside and enjoy the weather. Suddenly, a few Hufflepuff seventh years strode into the shop and didn't even bother trying to hide their falter when they realized Sirius was in the shop. Addison rolled her eyes as the girls began to titter amongst themselves and she recognized two of the lot as the self-proclaimed leaders of the so-called Sirius Black Fan Club. They were the leaders because, apparently, they were the only lot of the club that had actually managed to shag Sirius - or so they claimed. Addison had never felt the need to ask Sirius about these allegations, mainly because she really didn't want to know about her best mate's sex life, even if he insisted on telling her about it anyways.

Wanting to make a snide comment, Addison realized that Sirius hadn't even noticed that they were ogling him from across the room as the last third year left, leaving him to be able to pay for his chocolate. She gave another glance in the direction of the Hufflepuffs, who seemed to have noticed her presence, much to their disdain. Addison tried to hide a grin, deciding that it was about time she had a little fun with those girls this year.

"Sirius," Addison took a step forward, putting a hand on his back and leaning in toward him, cocking her head just so and meeting his eyes. She lowered her voice before asking, "Do you think I should get Dory some blood-flavoured suckers for her birthday?"

Sirius let out a quiet chuckle like clay in Addison's hands. "She didn't really appreciate the whole lot you gave her for Christmas last year," he replied in the same quiet voice, leaning his head over so it playfully hit hers before turning back to the shopkeeper.

Addison smiled at him and ran her hand down his back so it lingered over his lower back before she buried it into her pocket of her cloaks. With another look at the Hufflepuffs, she realized that her plan had worked - as always. Their eyes were narrowed and they gave her a very haughty look before proceeding into the depths of the store.

After he finished paying, Sirius noticed the look on Addison's face and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so happy?"

"Oh, nothing," Addison continued to beam as she led him out of the shop.

Before they could leave, though, Sirius took a look over his shoulder, scanning the shop for anything that could have added to Addison's good mood. Upon seeing the yellow and black scarves lingering by the chocolate hearts - "A sure-fire way to make _them_ fall for _you_!" - he let out a noise of disbelief and turned toward Addison.

"And here I was thinking you were in a particularly loveable mood," Sirius replied, stepping out of the shop as Addison broke into hysterics.

"Oh, Sirius, it was too good to pass up."

"Aussie, you _know_ that I've been vying for Theresa Kilburn since we got back to school," Sirius whined indignantly.

"I thought you were vying for Nicole," Addison raised an eyebrow, glad to be outside in the fresh air.

"Nicole is more of a long-time commitment and Theresa is more of a right now need," Sirius explained as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Your logic astounds me," Addison rolled her eyes. "Did it ever occur to you that Nicole wouldn't appreciate the rumours that would circulate once you had your fill of Theresa? You know, those girls aren't exactly modest when it comes to details."

Sirius opened his mouth to reply with something smart, but instead looked thoughtful. Thinking that maybe she had finally gotten through his thick skull, Addison gave him a hopeful look. He looked like he was going to say something more, but a shout down the street stopped him.

"Addison Sydney, you're nearly ten minutes late for Merlin's sake!"

Sirius and Addison looked down the street to see Addison's other friends waiting for her outside of the Three Broomsticks. Remembering that she had told them she would walk back to the castle with them at three o'clock, she pushed up the sleeve of her robes to check her watch. Sure enough - it was nearing ten after three.

"You made other plans?" Sirius mock gasped, putting a hand over his chest as though terribly hurt. "Why, I had a whole day planned for us."

"Of sitting in the pub with James, Peter, and Remus," Addison smirked.

"It could be much more interesting with you," Sirius offered, waggling his eyebrows at Addison.

"Addison!"

They exchanged a look and Addison pushed her hair behind her ear. "I need to go before Dory has my head."

"Fine - wait," Sirius stopped her, his brow furrowed.

With his free hand, he reached forward and took hold of Addison's arm, examining her wrist, which had been temporarily bare while she was fixing her hair. There was a deep purple bruise running down the side. As far as Sirius could tell, it was a fairly new addition to the many afflictions that tended to grace his best mate's body.

"Where'd you get this one?" he asked as Addison wrenched her arm out of his grasp, looking a bit scandalized.

"Quidditch practice," she explained. "I got hit with a Bludger."

"Oh," Sirius replied, looking thoughtful again.

"But, really, Si, I need to get going," Addison managed to flash him a smile. "I told Ephraim I'd meet him before the feast."

Sirius's expression quickly changed from thoughtful to annoyed at the mere mention of Addison's on-again off-again boyfriend, which made her smile falter only slightly.

"Sirius - "

"I don't understand what you see in him," he said point blank, giving her a disapproving look.

"You only don't like him because he's a Slytherin," Addison rolled her eyes, yet still looking a bit amused. She loved it when Sirius pretended to play the part of her older brother. "Not all Slytherins are bad, you know."

"He's friends with Snivellus," Sirius gave him a pointed look.

"_Addison!_" They ignored the shout as best they could, although began to talk a bit faster.

"Hardly."

"He stomachs his presence, then."

"As should you," Addison replied, then, deciding that it was time this conversation ended, held out her hands expectantly. "Now, give me my chocolate."

"Who says I bought _you_ any chocolate?" Sirius asked, although he reached into his Honeydukes bag nonetheless.

"You're a dear," Addison smiled, taking the chocolate and then standing on her tip toes to receive a kiss on the cheek from him. "Tell the boys I say hello."

"Of course," Sirius gave her a grin before she hurried toward her other friends.

Sirius watched Addison join them and laughed as she snubbed Dory's loud reprimands about keeping them waiting _forever_ and instead look at Lily's purchases. Finally, when she apparently couldn't take it anymore, she said something snippy to Dory that he couldn't catch, but he grinned as he saw Dory's face contort in anger and fell silent. Oh, yes - that was his best mate.

Finally, after he had successfully looked like a stalker, Sirius pushed open the door to the Three Broomsticks. He quickly manoeuvred through the crowd, nearly taking out a few fourth years along the way, before finding his fellow Marauders at their usual table.

"About ruddy time, Padfoot," James Potter grinned at his best mate, moving over in the booth to make room for him.

"Aussie and I were held up," Sirius offered for an answer, pulling the extra Butterbeer close to him. "Who do I owe for this?"

As Peter Pettigrew raised a hand and Sirius began searching for Galleons, Remus Lupin asked, "Where _is_ Addison?"

Sirius gave him a wry look as he pushed the money toward Peter. "Isn't my presence enough for you, Moony?"

"Oh, naturally, Padfoot," Remus nodded in agreement, his tone betraying the flush that was creeping up his neck. "I was just curious."

"I'm sure you were," Sirius smirked, exchanging a look with James. Then, pushing past the moment he explained, "She had plans to meet up with Ephraim back at the school."

"Ephraim _Carson_?" James asked in disbelief. "Bloody hell - how many times can one couple break up and get back together?"

Sirius shook his head, James's words echoing his own thoughts. "She needs to lose him already before Moony blows a gasket."

Remus, who was taking a drink from his Butterbeer did a bit of a spit take, then gave Sirius a disbelieving look. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't," Peter replied, then jumped out of the way of Remus's elbow.

"Hey, Prongs," Sirius interrupted their argument, "how did Quidditch practice go the other day?"

"Great," James's eyes lit up. "You should see the team this year - we're totally fluid and we're just going to clobber Slytherin at the first game. In fact - "

"Did anyone get hurt?" Sirius interrupted.

James furrowed his brow for a moment in thought. "I don't think so. No one got carried off to the Hospital Wing or anything, if that's what you mean. Why?"

"Aussie had a bruise and she said it was from a Bludger," Sirius pressed him. "Does that ring a bell?"

James shook his head, but then said, "She _is_ a Beater, Sirius. There's a good chance that she could have been hit with one."

Sirius nodded, not thinking of this.

"Besides, she's so accident prone," Peter added, leaning his chin on his hand. "Remember in the fifth year when she got stuck in the disappearing stair?"

The others began to laugh, but Remus interrupted, "I can't believe I found the three of you just standing there laughing at her."

"But you came to her rescue, didn't you, Moony?" James asked with a grin.

"I'm pretty sure she called you her hero," Peter added.

"Thus beginning Moony's infatuation," Sirius finished up.

"You three are unbelievable," Remus rolled his eyes, although he flushed once more, making them laugh even more.

* * *

"You know," Midori, or Dory, Ido sniffed, speaking for the first time since they left Hogsmeade as she brushed her short black hair behind one ear, "if you keep on letting Black kiss you in public, people are going to give you a reputation." 

Addison gave a derisive snort - a very unladylike reaction, indeed, she gauged from Dory's face - before saying, "It's not like I don't have a reputation as it is."

Ever since the third year, when Addison had began spending more time with the Marauders, Sirius especially, many of the girls at Hogwarts reacted in the same way the Sirius Black Fan Club did at Honeydukes. The Marauders were all good-looking blokes and a girl would do near anything to go out with one of them. Rumours started circulating almost instantly about Addison, but she'd much rather just blow them off. In her opinion, life is far too short to worry about what people think of you.

"Well, it certainly adds to it, then," Dory replied in a tone that suggested finality.

Lily Evans let out a laugh, ignoring Dory's tone. "Dory, it's not like she was snogging him in daylight. He only kissed her cheek goodbye."

"If I started kissing Addison on the cheek, would you go around telling everyone that we're having hot, steamy lesbian shags in or dormitory?" Nicole Fenwick added, giving Addison a grin.

Addison, Lily, and Nicole had been fast friends since they managed to find each other in a compartment on their first ride to Hogwarts. Now, going on their seventh years as friends, they were the closest of the dormmates, mainly because Dory was continuously attempting to belittle them and Sophie Meadowes, the missing link to their dormitory, always had her nose in a book - as she did now as they walked down the road to Hogwarts.

"You mean we don't do that already?" Addison asked, looking shocked.

"Addison!" Nicole exclaimed, her eyes wide. "You swore you wouldn't tell anyone! Merlin, that was supposed to be a secret!"

As they broke into laughter, Dory rolled her eyes and gave Benjy Fenwick, Nicole's twin brother, an exasperated look. Benjy always chose to hang around with Nicole and her friends, which she didn't mind in the least as they were quite close. Addison and Lily had theories about his sexuality - a number of them stemming from the fact he has an all girl circle of friends and that his nickname is Benjy, rather than Ben - but chose not to ask either him or Nicole about it, as it could be potentially embarrassing for them all.

"They're nutters," Dory shrugged, batting her eyelashes an obscene amount of times as she met his eyes. Another one of their theories related only to the idea of how humorous it would be if Benjy was gay, as Dory had fancied him since their fifth year.

"There are worse things," Benjy shrugged, a smile on his face from the conversation.

"Speaking of Sirius," Addison suddenly, deciding that it was time to get down to basics and help him along, "I was wondering what the lot of you would think if you knew he fancied you." They gave her blank stares, so she rolled her eyes before explaining, "Sirius likes one of you and since I can't say who and break his trust a bit more since I wasn't supposed to tell anyone in general, I just want to know what you all would think."

"Vomit," Lily said instantly. "He's nearly as bad as Potter."

"Which is why you went on a walk with him last week?" Nicole spoke up and blinked innocently a few times.

"What - how did you know about that?" Lily asked, turning red in the face.

"I didn't," Nicole grinned, exchanging a look with Addison. "But thank you for admitting it."

"Why - you - honestly," Lily crossed her arms in annoyance, deciding to pretend Nicole wasn't there.

"I, personally, would not mind in the least," Dory spoke up, meeting Addison's eyes significantly, obviously believing that she was the one Sirius fancied.

"Me either," Benjy added, but then gave them all a wink. Addison made a mental note to add that to the theories.

"He'd have to stop going into random cupboards with girls," Nicole mused, just as Addison had suspected. "He's a nice enough bloke and quite funny, but it'd be hard to trust him knowing that most of his reputation is valid, unlike Addison's."

"What about you, Sophie?" Addison spoke up, making their other friend jump.

"What about me?" Sophie asked, blinking in confusion.

"Would you date Sirius if he liked you?" Addison asked, smiling at her. She really was off in her own little world while reading her books.

"Sirius Black?" Sophie asked, her eyes wide.

"Do you know any other Siriuses?" Benjy asked with a smirk.

"It really isn't a common name, is it?" Lily mused.

"Yes, Sirius Black," Addison ignored her other friends. While Sophie's answer didn't matter, as she had already gotten the necessary information from Nicole, she wanted this bluff to seem valid so no one suspected who the real person was.

"I suppose," Sophie nodded after hesitating a moment. "He is awful handsome, don't you think?"

"Addison isn't allowed to think those things," Nicole smirked. "How often is the bloke the ball and chain?"

"Oh, sod off," Addison playfully elbowed Nicole in the side.

"Addison!"

"Speak of the devil," Lily gave Addison a smirk identical to Nicole's.

"I'll see you lot later," Addison gave them a happy grin before taking off across the grounds from where Ephraim was walking across after an emergency Quidditch practice, his broom over one shoulder.

"You're late," Ephraim said as a greeting to her, his face a bit hard in anger.

"Sorry," Addison apologized quickly, biting her lip. "But, it looks like you lot just got finished, so I can't be terribly late, can I?"

"We ran over," Ephraim replied shortly, but putting an arm around her shoulder anyway as they walked toward the lake. "Were you with Nicole and the others the entire time?"

"No, I went over with Sirius and we did some shopping together," Addison explained quickly, then grimaced, wishing she would have held her tongue.

"Black?" Ephraim asked, dropping his arm and grasping Addison's bruised wrist, making her gasp loudly. "I thought we talked about that."

"And I told you he's my best mate and you're off your rocker if you think I'm going to stop talking to him," Addison replied, giving him a look.

He tightened his grip on her wrist, not noticing as her face screwed up in pain. "You know he only wants - "

"Ephraim, you're hurting me," Addison interrupted, wrenching her wrist out from his grasp and rubbing it tenderly.

"Oh, hell - I'm sorry," Ephraim apologized quickly as they reached a large beech tree, his eyes soft. "I didn't mean to."

"I know," Addison nodded as he gingerly touched the bruise. "It's all right."

Ephraim took of his cloak and spread it out on the ground, inviting her to sit on it next to him. When she sat a few feet away, he tugged at the back of her robes so she'd sit closer. With a small smile, Addison obliged, leaning against his chest.

Noticing that she was still touching her wrist, Ephraim began to softly run his fingers through Addison's long hair. "I really am sorry."

"It's fine," Addison insisted, tearing her hands apart and looking up into his blue eyes with a smile. "Don't think of it."

"All right," Ephraim gave Addison a smile, then leaned down and kissed her quickly. "I love you, Addie."

"I love you, too, Ephraim," Addison returned his smile, letting him kiss her again.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** I know of one reviewer who is going to love this chapter, eh, Nicole? (-: Anyways, hopefully you have an idea as to what is going on here, but not the whole nine yards. Well, I know you don't know everything because I didn't go into everything...but you know what I mean. I also hope that my introduction to all of the characters made sense. I dislike first chapters __so much because of character intros. They're a pain. Also, I totally didn't mean any offence by the remarks regarding Benjy and the hot lesbian snogging. I'm quite the advocate for gay rights and all that jazz..but can't help a joke here or there. You'd understand better if you knew me. (-;_

_Anyways, thank you so much for reading and please let me know what you think! Also, if you reviewed the intro, thanks! I didn't have time to reply to all of your reviews, but I definitely will this time around._


	3. Concrete Angel

_**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The song "Concrete Angel" is by Martina McBride and I do not, in any way, own it._

**I Feel Good Enough  
Chapter Two: Concrete Angel**

_It's hard to see the pain behind the mask  
Bearing the burden of a secret storm  
Sometimes she wishes she was never born_

"Oy, Evans!"

"What, Potter?" Lily asked in a distracted voice, ignoring that he was poking her from his seat behind her.

"Want to try my Amortentia?"

Addison could not help but shoot him a grin and she saw that he looked just as amused by the situation as she was. They were in their NEWT level Potions class and Professor Slughorn had instructed them to make Amortentia, the strongest known love potion. While he did not seem too sure that many of them would be able to make it, as it was terribly complex and needed full concentration, Addison felt that she was making good headway, as her potion slowly began to turn a creamy white.

"No, Potter," Lily replied in annoyance, waving her hand over her shoulder at him in hopes he would stop prodding her.

"You know, James," Remus pointed out from the seat behind Addison, "it would be a lot funnier if you hadn't been asking her since you finished."

"And maybe if it didn't look like cottage cheese," Addison added, peering into his cauldron carefully as she finished stirring her own potion. "Honestly, it looks rancid."

"Moony didn't do much better," James pouted.

Remus flushed as he looked down into his cauldron. In all actuality, his looked much worse - at least James's was white. Remus's potion was more of a pale green colour and seemed to be sticking to the side of his cauldron.

"I'm hopeless at potions," Remus complained dejectedly, sinking back in his chair.

"I could tutor you if you wanted," Benjy suggested, but by the looks of his potion, it seemed as though his help might be more of a hindrance for Remus.

Addison opened her mouth to suggest Lily, but before she could say anything, the look on Remus's face told her that Slughorn was standing in front of her workstation. She whirled around, a bit surprised, but gave him a cheerful smile nonetheless. Her friends were not terribly fond of Professor Slughorn, but Addison did not really mind him - then again, he had inducted her into his group of favourites in the fourth year, when he had walked in on her during a detention for McGonagall. Rather than writing the lines as she was supposed to be doing, she had decided to transfigure the contents of the Transfiguration classroom. He had been quite impressed with the magic, but made sure she changed everything back before she could get into bigger trouble.

"Ah, yes, very good, Miss Sydney," Professor Slughorn said approvingly, ladling a bit of the potion carefully to test the consistency. "This is very well done."

"Are you sure?" Addison asked with a furrowed brow. "The colour seems a bit pasty, wouldn't you think, sir?"

Slughorn let out a laugh. "I didn't expect it to be picture perfect, naturally. However, you've managed the spirals, which means that it is strong enough to work - although it may not be much stronger than a potion you could buy from a joke shop." He then turned to Lily. "Miss Evans, this is beautifully made."

"Thank you, Professor," Lily beamed. "I actually put in a - "

Suddenly, from behind the two, there was a loud crack as Remus's cauldron broke cleanly in half. His eyes were wide and he looked horrified as some of the other students began to laugh under their breath. Slughorn hurried over to where Remus and James were sitting and waved his wand over Remus's cauldron.

"No harm done, Mr. Lupin," Slughorn gave Remus, who was a very daring shade of red, a weak smile. "Although I would appreciate it if you could have a vial for me sometime before class of the potion for me to grade."

"Yes, Professor," Remus mumbled, looking as though he would do anything to disappear.

As Slughorn turned to analyze James's potion, Addison turned and gave Remus a sympathetic look. "Maybe you _should_ get a tutor."

"I knew I shouldn't have taken this class," Remus sighed, not particularly caring that their professor was standing nearby. "I don't know why I did."

"Because Addison was taking it," James supplied smartly as Lily waved Slughorn down again to further discuss her potion.

"What?" Remus exclaimed, his face beginning to flush again. "Prongs, what are you on about?"

"You don't remember?" James asked as he tried to put some of his potion into his vial. "Let me remind you, Moony. See, last year, when we got our OWL results back while you were at my house over the holidays, you nearly did a back flip when you saw you managed an E because you just _knew_ Addison would be in Potions since she was just _spiffing_ at it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Remus managed, although he avoided making eye contact with anyone as he said it.

"As I was saying," Addison continued, giving James an exasperated look. "Lily's brilliant at potions - maybe she could tutor you?"

Upon hearing this, Lily turned and gave Remus an apologetic look. "Remus, you know I'd love to help you, but I just agreed to help Nicole with Charms and a third year with his own Potions on top of my Head Girls duties, Charms Club - "

"It's okay, Lily," Remus nodded, leaning back in his chair. "I don't know if anyone could help me. I'm so hopeless."

"Might as well just go ahead and off yourself, Moony," James rolled his eyes at how overdramatic Remus was being. He knew that the full moon was coming up and it tended to turn Remus into a girl, but _really_.

"Miss Sydney could probably help you, Mr. Lupin," Slughorn spoke up. The friends had forgotten that their teacher had been standing there the entire time during the conversation and gave him a shocked look.

"Oh, Professor," Addison pulled an unsure face. "I'm not sure that - "

"Oh, please, Addison," Lily elbowed her friend in the side. "Don't pretend you're modest or something."

"Well, I guess I could help you," Addison met Remus's eyes. "I mean, if you want me to and all."

James let out a derisive snort as Remus nodded in agreement and said, "That'd be great."

"Good, now that that's settled," Slughorn gave them a nod before addressing the rest of the class, "if you could please bring your vials to the front of the classroom and set them on my desk for grading - and please, Mr. Avery, don't try to switch names with another vial or you'll receive one more week of detention."

Addison quickly cleaned up her supplies and pushed her books into her bag. She shouldered her bag and watched Lily finish with her own ingredients. Once she was finished, the two girls left the classroom - James, Remus, and Benjy close behind them.

"What did the Amortentia smell like to you?" Addison asked Lily playfully as they began to ascend to the main part of the school.

Lily's cheeks flushed a bit before answering. "Well, freshly baked bread, fresh ink, and leather, if you _have_ to know."

"You know, Evans," James sidled up between Marly and Lily. "Our Quidditch uniforms are made with leather."

Lily gave James an incredulous look, but Addison just laughed aloud and soon Remus joined in her laughter, guessing as to what she was thinking as he walked up alongside her.

"James, that could also mean she's attracted to me," Addison pointed out.

"Or Snape," Remus added.

"Or Gwenog."

"Or that one really burly bloke in Hufflepuff."

"Or maybe - "

"Actually," Lily interrupted, giving Addison and Remus a reproachful look, "my favourite armchair at home is made from leather. It's my reading chair."

"I'd rather think she's attracted to Snape," Remus muttered to Addison under his breath, causing Addison to break into laughter again.

"All right then, Addison," Lily turned to Addison with a reproachful tone as they reached the Entrance Hall. "What did it smell like to you?"

Addison furrowed her brow for a moment, trying to place the smells. "It was a lovely mix of oranges, this chocolate mousse dessert I had once a long time ago, and Sirius's aftershave."

They all nodded until, quite suddenly and disbelieving, James repeated, "_Sirius's aftershave_?"

"Yeah," Addison shrugged, leading the way to the Great Hall and to the Gryffindor table for dinner. "I bought it for him for Christmas last year because I loved the smell so much and couldn't use it myself. He was the next best thing."

"The only question left is whether or not that means you're attracted to Sirius," Lily smirked at Addison, folding her arms.

"Have you _seen_ him before?" Addison asked jokingly as they all sat down together where Sirius and Peter had already began to eat dinner.

"Seen who?" Sirius asked, bringing mashed potatoes to his mouth.

"You, apparently," Remus said with a bit of an annoyed tone, although no one seemed to notice.

"Addison could smell you in her Amortentia," James explained, dishing roast beef onto his plate.

"Is that so?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow to Addison, who was seated next to him. "Aussie, are you thinking we should take our relationship to the next level? I know a good broom cupboard I could introduce you to."

"Oh, Black, you certainly know how to woo a girl," Lily rolled her eyes as she poured some gravy over her mashed potatoes.

"While that sounds terribly romantic," Addison rolled her eyes as she buttered a roll, "I'm going to have to decline your offer. You know, it _is_ possible for a girl to find a bloke attractive and not fancy him or want to jump in his pants."

"Are you sure about that?" Nicole asked, picking up on the tail end of the conversation as she joined them.

"Nicole, Sirius Black is bloody good looking," Addison announced, then turned to Sirius. "Si, you're bloody good looking."

Sirius puffed his chest out in a joking manner. "So I've heard."

"Padfoot, I think you have something on your robes," Peter pointed, furrowing his brow.

"What?" Sirius asked, looking down at his robes. "Did I manage to slop on myself again? I always do."

"Yeah," Peter nodded, bringing his hand back across the table. "I think you might have gotten a little ego on your robes."

The rest of them roared with laughter, James clapping Peter hard on the back, despite that Remus had made nearly the exact same joke a few days prior.

Addison shook her head, feeling amused by the amount of stares that they were receiving from the other Gryffindors and from across the Hall at other tables. She remembered in her sixth year when she overheard a group of third years talking about her group of friends. They were discussing that they were the crowd that everyone wants to know everything about because they always seemed so content with themselves. However, as Addison had mused at the time, if they would have taken a closer look, they would have seen a group of friends that goes through rough times, but also knows that no matter what happens, they had each other - and that is all that mattered.

The group of friends continued to eat and chat, oblivious to the annoyed looks they were receiving from Dory, who was sitting with Sophie a few chairs down the table. Eventually, though, Addison got to her feet and shouldered her bag.

"I have to get going," she apologized with a smile, wishing she could stay with her friends. "I'm meeting Ephraim and I have to stop at the Hospital Wing beforehand."

"I'll count the minutes until we meet again, sugarplum," Sirius blew her a kiss.

Addison rolled her eyes as her friends began to laugh and she smacked him upside the head in a good-natured manner.

"I'll see you lot later," Addison gave a small wave, shaking her head slightly as she left the Great Hall.

Addison crossed her arms as she began the trek to the Great Hall, still quite amused by her friends. She was glad that, after a few years of maturing, her two groups of friends were able to joke around and be together. The Marauders really were an amusing clan of blokes - and she was not just saying that because of Sirius. Nicole and Lily had been wary of them when Addison first began to break plans with them to explore and prank with the her other friends, but even they had warmed up to them after a while.

Upon reaching the Hospital Wing, Addison walked straight in, glad that it was clear. She really did not feel like having an audience.

"Miss Sydney," Madam Pomfrey greeted jovially. "What brings you here?"

Apparently, Madam Pomfrey was not friendly to all the other students as she was with Addison. Once Nicole had accompanied her to the wing and could not believe how nice she had been. Addison guessed that it was only because of the sheer amount of times she had come to the Hospital Wing since she was a first year. Sirius was not joking when he called her accident-prone.

"I have quite the nasty bruise," Addison explained simply, sitting down on one of the hospital beds.

"How did you get this one?" Madam Pomfrey asked, retrieving a tube of green paste.

Addison pulled up the sleeve of her robes to reveal the dark purple bruise that Sirius had noticed a few weeks earlier in Hogsmeade. It had only gotten worse since and it was beginning to hurt more.

"I smashed it in my trunk a few weeks ago," Addison gave Madam Pomfrey a smile. "It won't go away."

"'A few weeks ago?'" Madam Pomfrey asked, furrowing her brow, but spreading the paste onto Addison's wrist. "Have you been festering it?"

"Not that I can think of," Addison shook her head, a funny tingling sensation concentrated on the spot.

"Bruises shouldn't last so long," Madam Pomfrey pointed out and then brought Addison's wrist close to her and blew on it carefully.

Addison shrugged, not really wanting to go into any more detail. Madam Pomfrey wiped the paste off and revealed a bruise free wrist.

"There you are, dear," Madam Pomfrey straightened up as Addison jumped down from where she was seated.

"Thank you," Addison smiled.

"Not a problem at all," the Healer gave Addison a pat on the back. "Be more careful, though."

Addison chuckled. "I'll try."

"Have a good evening!" Madam Pomfrey called after Addison as she left the Hospital Wing.

Glancing down at her watch, Addison saw that she had just enough time to make it up to the Astronomy Tower to meet Ephraim. She walked a bit faster than she normally would have, though, not wanting to give him any sort of reason to be upset with her. He had been a bit temperamental lately and Addison accredited it to the upcoming Quidditch game - Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Ephraim knew full well just how good the Gryffindor team was without Addison telling him, but it seemed to annoy him more that his girlfriend was on the team than that the team was good.

As Addison turned the corner to where the entrance to the Astronomy Tower was, she saw that Ephraim was waiting for her at the base of the staircase. She made a contemptuous noise - was there a reason he was _always_ early?

"How long have you been here?" Addison asked upon reaching him, letting him kiss her cheek.

"Only a few minutes," Ephraim admitted. "Come on - I want to talk to you about something."

Addison swallowed hard as she followed him. She did not like the tone in his voice. It meant that he was more than a bit upset, but did not want to risk being overheard. Addison's mind reeled as she tried to think of some manic reason Ephraim could be upset. He was fine at lunch when they had eaten together and that had only been a few hours ago.

Once they were in the Tower, Ephraim began to pace in front of Addison, who sat on a couch that lined one of the walls. She watched him, unaware of how fearful she looked.

"Ephraim - "

"Do you know who Nathaniel Wood is?" Ephraim burst out, stopping his pacing and looking Addison squarely in the eye.

"Err…," Addison furrowed her brow. "Isn't he a Ravenclaw? Seventh year, I believe?"

"Yes," Ephraim nodded, taking a step closer to Addison, who pushed herself back against the back of the couch. "In case you weren't aware, the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall lies directly parallel to the Ravenclaw table."

Addison realized that he was trying to degrade her as he explained the obvious in a slow voice. She knew that she should say something, tell him how much it hurt when he said things like that. She also knew that if it were anyone else, she would put them in their place. Rather than saying anything, though, she just nodded numbly.

"He overheard the most interesting conversation today during dinner and saw fit to alert me," Ephraim crossed his arms, taking another step toward Addison so he was towering over her. "Do you know what this conversation was about?"

Addison bit her lip, then it dawned on her - the Amortentia. "I have an idea."

"I told you Black is interested - "

"No, Ephraim, he isn't," Addison pleaded with him, wishing he would believe her. "And I'm not interested in him - I just really love the smell of his cologne."

Ephraim gave Addison a disapproving look and she realized that probably was not the best thing to admit at the moment. She let out a long breath, trying to regain her thoughts.

"No, you have to believe me, Ephraim," Addison said again, leaning forward and putting a hand on his side.

Rather than taking this as a comforting gesture like she had meant for it to be, Ephraim grabbed hold of Addison's wrist, pulling it away from him. When she did not grimace, he looked down to see that the bruise was gone.

"You went to Madam Pomfrey?"

"It hurt so bad, Ephraim," Addison explained. "It was getting to the point where I couldn't move it and it's my wand hand."

"It's all right," Ephraim said, giving her a surprised look. "I don't want you to be hurting, Addison."

Addison swallowed hard as his face turned thoughtful. She took advantage of his silence and spoke up.

"Ephraim, I promise you that anything Wood overheard was in good fun," Addison assured him quickly as he let go of her wrist. "Sirius and I are just good friends and that's all we'll _ever_ be. You need to trust me on that."

"It's not you I don't trust," Ephraim sat down next to Addison. "It's him."

"Ephraim, please," Addison pleaded, wishing they could see eye to eye on something for once.

"All right, all right," Ephraim sighed, dropping the subject with a sigh. "I just have trouble sharing the most wonderful thing in my life."

Addison smiled at him - he could be too sweet for his own good sometimes. "Well, if it makes you feel any better," she reached forward and pulled on his green and silver tie to bring their faces closer together, "you definitely don't get to do some things that Sirius never will be able to."

Ephraim grinned and closed the gap between them, kissing her hard on the lips and pushing her back onto the couch, his legs straddling her. He tugged on the bottom of her shirt so it came untucked from her skirt and his hand began to travel underneath it.

Things quickly began to heat up between the two seventh years. Addison sighed in pleasure as Ephraim blew softly into her ear - he always knew what she needed, it seemed. Addison fumbled with the buttons on Ephraim's shirt, but he eventually pulled it off altogether, ignoring as a few buttons popped off. She ran her hands down his toned chest and he groaned. As one of his hands caressed Addison's hair, the other adventured lower, softly easing up Addison's skirt until -

"Ephraim, no," Addison gasped, stiffening as she clamped her thighs together.

"I'm sorry," Ephraim apologized in a husky voice, not bothering to mask his annoyance as he withdrew his hand and pushed her hair back out of her face with it, revealing the look of contempt in her eyes. "You're just so bloody irresistible."

"It's all right," Addison sighed, relaxing underneath him and running her fingers down his chest. "I'm just not ready yet, Ephraim."

He looked as though he wanted to argue but, instead, blew out a long breath and said, "It's fine."

"Thank you," Addison replied as he returned his lips to her collarbone.

* * *

_**Disclaimer:** So..yeah, there you have it. I don't have a lot to say at the moment, but I hope you're enjoying this so far. I have the entire story figured out, so if you have any questions along the way, feel free to ask me – I'll answer any that aren't _terribly_ plot related. (-: Anyways, let me know what you think and thanks for reading!_


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